Antioxidant responses in clam Venerupis philippinarum exposed to environmental pollutant hexabromocyclododecane

The objective of this study was to assess the potential toxic effects of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) on tissues of clam Venerupis philippinarum using parameters of antioxidant defenses and oxidative stress. Antioxidant biomarkers including ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH), as well as DNA damage and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in gills and digestive glands of V. philippinarum, were analyzed after a 1-, 3-, 6-, 10-, and 15-day exposure to seawater containing HBCD at environmentally related concentrations, respectively. The results showed that the activity of most antioxidant enzymes increased, and different trends were detected with exposure time extending. The oxidative stress could be obviously caused in the gills and digestive glands under the experimental conditions. This could provide useful information for toxic risk assessment of environmental pollutant HBCD.